Frozen material



Patented Sept. 10, 1940 PATENT OFFICE FROZEN MATERIAL Robert Henry Bedford, New York, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Allen T. Sherman, New York,

No Drawing. Original application May 11, 1937,

Serial No. 141,937.

Divided and this application October 7, 1939, Serial No. 298,359

9 Claims.

This invention relates to frozen materials, such as ice-glazed frozen comestibles.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 141,937, filed May 11, 1937.

provide substantially a transparent non-cracking glaze on frozen comestibles.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims.

one osition to another during storage or when they are transported.

In my copending application Serial No. 53,905, how Patent No. 2,093,069, there is disclosed the production of non-cracking ice from eutectic solutions.

I have now found that I can produce a substantially transparent non-cracking glaze, from aqueous solutions containing hydrogen peroxide.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to For many years comestibles, particularly flesh In accordance with the principles of the in- 5 foods such as fish, have been frozen for the stant invention, when a fiesh food such as fish purpose of preserving such comestibles until used. is to be given an ice glaze, the fish are frozen Recently, the freezing of comestibles has been by either a quick freezing process or any other effected by the so-called quick-freezing profreezing process, and the frozen fish dipped into 10 cesses. In any event, when the fish are frozen, the glazing solution. The temperature of the 10 they are maintained in cold storage until used. glazing solution is usually at a temperature con- When frozen fish are maintained in cold storsiderably higher than both the temperature of age, they are exposed to air and even at very low the frozen fish and-the temperature of the room temperatures, foi example 20 0., the rate of in which the glazing operation is performed. As

evaporation is comparatively so great that the a consequence, when the fish are dipped into the 15 fish become dry or dehydrated. Asa consequence, glazing solution and withdrawn therefrom, the undesirable changes in the chemical and physical glazing solution adhering to the fish, due to the properties of the fish result. temperature of the fish and the temperature of In order to inhibit evaporation directly from the glazing room, is substantially immediately frozen fish under storage or other conditions, the frozen providing a glaze completely enveloping 20 frozen fish are dipped in water whereby an envethe fish. The operation may be repeated, the lope or glaze of ice completely surrounding the number of dippings in the glazing solution defish is produced. When glazed fish are stored at pending on the thickness of the glaze desired.

- temperatures below the freezing point of water, The glazing solution contemplated by this inevaporation of water takes place from the ice vention is an aqueous solution which will produce 25 glaze instead of from the fish and thus the evapoa transparent non-cracking ice. These results ration directly from the fish together with the are secured by incorporating hydrogen peroxide undesirable effects are eliminated. in the glazing solution. The hydrogen peroxide The ice glaze produced from ordinary Water is used in such proportions as to be non-toxic cracks either immediately in many places or it and edible. 30 cracks in many places after storage. Where a To more clearly illustrate the nature and crack in the glaze appears, there is evaporation principles of the invention, there is hereafter set of water directly from the cells of that part of forth an illustrative embodiment of the inventhe fish and later from the adjacent cells. Due tion.

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Hydrogen peroxide. 0.5%weight. Cohoesalmom 30 to 35 -25 1 to the fact that the water glaze is brittle, the The concentration in the above specific illustracracking may be increased or indeed the glaze tive embodiment is the minimum concentration chipped off, when the glazed fish are moved from for the conditions set forth. However, it is to 45 be understood that higher'concentrations may be used without departing from the spirit of this invention. Usually, however, the minimum concentrations will be used for any particular set of conditions. I

Now with respect to the temperature conditions in the specific example, it will be noted that the temperature of the frozen fish is between --30 C. and '-35 C. and that the temperature of the glazing room is 25 C. These conditions have been selected in order to give the most economic conditions at a temperature known to be sufficiently low for all practical purposes. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not restricted to these precise temperature conditions. If the temperature of the frozen fish to be glazed is, for example, at a higher temperature, i. e. 10 C., then the minimum concentration of the substances might and could be less than 0.3%.

If a lower temperature than 35 C. were used, then a higher concentration of the substances set forth would have to be used. The concentration for any particular set of conditions can be easily determined by simple experiment by any person skilled in the art.

Fish disodor as a result of discoloration of oils or the growth of chromogenic bacteria. Some of the causes which may bring about this are bacterial decomposition of the cell proteins, while the fish are fresh or even if the fish are frozen and stored at too high a temperature, and the leakage of ammonia fumes from the cooling coils or refrigerating system coming in contact with the frozen fish.

The present invention also contemplates markedly reducing or inhibiting the rate of bacterial growth or killing the bacteria and also avoiding the deleterious effect if ammoniacal fumes come in contact with the surface of the glaze. These results are secured, according to the present invention, by makingvthe glazing solution acidic in reaction. Though various degrees of acidity may be employed, I have found that satisfactory results are secured when the solution has an acidity equal to a pH value of 5.5. The solution 7 may be brought to the desired degree of acidity (pH value) by incorporating therein the necessary amount of acidic substance but as hydrogen peroxide is itself acidic in nature, there is no non-cracking, transparent, water-White in color and smooth. The substance mentioned forms concentrated solutions, when the glaze is formed which do not freeze at the storage temperatures used in practice. These s lutions rise by capillary action to the surface of the glazes, Where they form a film and reduce the vapor pressure characteristics of the concentration of the glazing solution, as a consequence, the commodity treated with a glazing solution of the type herein described is preserved for a longer period of time than heretofore.

Since it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the above description without departing from the nature or spirit thereof, this invention is not restricted thereto except as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Frozen comestibles having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in an amount suflicient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze. 2. Frozen comestibles having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having a pH of approximately 5.5 and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufficient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze.

3. Frozen comestibles having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having an acidic reaction and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount suflicient to impart non-cracking characteristics to said glaze.

4. Frozen fish having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufficient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze.

5. Frozen-fish having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having a pH of approximately 5.5 and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufiicient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze.

6. Frozen fish having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having an acidic reaction and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount suflicient to impart non-cracking characteristics to said glaze.

'7. Frozen flesh foods having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufficient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze.

8. Frozen flesh foods having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having a. pH of approximately 5.5 and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount suflicient to impart noncracking characteristics to said glaze.

9. Frozen flesh foods having a transparent ice glaze formed of an aqueous solution having an acidic reaction and containing hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufflcient to impart non-cracking characteristics to said glaze.

ROBERT HENRY BEDFORD. 

